Tree ferns, bamboos, cherries… spoil them rotten now and you’ll get great growth for the rest of the year
After months of slumber, the beginning of April feels as though a starter’s pistol has been set off in the garden, triggering explosive growth everywhere. With so much bursting into life all around, it can be tricky to know where to start, with seed-sowing, planting out, lawn-mowing and getting a head start on weeds all vying for our time. However, there are some common garden plants that pack in almost all their growth for the entire year into just a few short weeks in April. So, if you have time to do only one thing outdoors this weekend, make it giving these horticultural sprint racers a treat that will set them up for the entire season. Almost everything else will be happy to wait a week or two more.
To prepare themselves for their long winter dormancy, perennial plants from temperate latitudes need to spend months building up reserves of energy to see them through the lean months, as well as toughening up their new growth to brace themselves for sub-zero temperatures. After a fleeting window in April (sometimes edging into May) these species will carry on photosynthesising, looking lush and green, but will barely send out any new leaves or branches. This means that, if they are deprived of water and nutrients in this time, their entire year’s growth can be compromised. So here are my top four plants that really deserve a little spoiling right now.
Continue reading...from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Ii2ac6
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment